To Hell with the Devil

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To Hell with the Devil
Studio album by
Stryper
ReleasedOctober 24, 1986
StudioMaster Control (Burbank, California)
GenreGlam metal,[1] Christian metal[1]
Length41:10
LabelEnigma
ProducerStephan Galfas and Stryper
Stryper chronology
Soldiers Under Command
(1985) 		To Hell with the Devil
(1986) 		In God We Trust
(1988)
Alternative Cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Jesus Freak Hideout[3]

To Hell with the Devil is the third studio album by the Christian metal band Stryper, released in 1986.[4] It was the first Christian metal album to achieve platinum status, selling over one million copies. It remained the best-selling Christian metal album until P.O.D.'s Satellite in 2001.[5][6][7]

The album was listed at No. 88 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. The album was the only heavy metal album on the list. Ian Christe, author of the heavy metal history book Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (2003), mentions To Hell with the Devil in his book as one of the landmarks of the glam metal movement.[8] Throughout 1987, both music videos for "Free" and "Honestly" ranked No. 1 on Dial MTV, the daily MTV list of most requested videos. The first single/video video for "Calling on You" also reached No. 2 on the show. "Honestly" was the biggest single from the record peaking at #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart.

The original artwork depicted four long haired angels (closely resembling the band members) throwing the devil into a fiery pit. The cover was then changed on later pressings to a basic black cover with the Stryper logo and the album title in the center.[9]

According to Michael Sweet's autobiography, as the band started to record the album, Michael felt Tim Gaines wasn't the right bassist for the record. He was replaced by bassist Matt Hurich, who eventually ended up not working out. So session bassist Brad Cobb took Gaines' place while recording the album. However, before the tour began, Sweet asked Gaines to rejoin as he felt it wasn't right performing as "Stryper" without him.

In 2010, HM Magazine listed To Hell with the Devil No. 3 on its Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of All Time list stating that "when this album broke, it went multi-platinum, forever raising the ceiling of what heavy Christian music could do."[10] Heaven's Metal fanzine ranked it No. 6 on its Top 100 Christian metal albums of all-time list.[11]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Michael Sweet except as noted

  1. "Abyss (To Hell with the Devil)" – 1:21
  2. "To Hell with the Devil" (M. Sweet, Robert Sweet) – 4:08
  3. "Calling on You" – 3:59
  4. "Free" (M. Sweet, R. Sweet) – 3:44
  5. "Honestly" – 4:10
  6. "The Way" (Oz Fox) – 3:37
  7. "Sing-Along Song" – 4:21
  8. "Holding On" – 4:16
  9. "Rockin' the World" – 3:30
  10. "All of Me" – 3:11
  11. "More Than a Man" – 4:35

Personnel[edit]

Stryper

Additional musicians

Production[edit]

  • Oz Fox – producer
  • Michael Sweet – producer
  • Robert Sweet – producer, cover concept
  • Stephan Galfas – producer, arrangements, engineer
  • Dan Nebanzal – engineer
  • Gary Myerberg – technical assistant
  • Eddy Schreyer – mastering at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Brian Ayuso – art direction, design
  • Ray Brown – costume design
  • Annamaria DiSanto – photography
  • Anna Revenge – photography
  • Neil Zlozower – photography
  • Suzan Carson – photography assistant
  • Kyle Rae Sweet – make-up artist
  • Janice Sweet – management

Singles[edit]

  • "Free"/"Calling on You" - released February 10, 1987 (Enigma Records 75001)
  • "Honestly"/"Sing-Along Song" - released August 10, 1987 (Enigma 75009)

Videos[edit]

  • "Calling On You"
  • "Free"
  • "Honestly"
  • "All of Me" (on the documentary Stryper: In the Beginning')

Charts[edit]

Chart (1986-1987) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] 89
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 43
US Billboard 200[14] 32
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[15] 3

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for To Hell with the Devil
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  2. ^ To Hell with the Devil at AllMusic
  3. ^ Keel, Fred (March 1, 2009). "Stryper, "To Hell with the Devil" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. John DiBiase. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  4. ^ Thompson, John J. (2000), Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll (First printing ed.), Ottawa, Ontario Canada: ECW Press, ISBN 1-55022-421-2 Pages 152-155.
  5. ^ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - P.O.D. Rejoined By Guitarist MARCOS CURIEL; First Photo Available". Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  6. ^ "Eminem, Nelly, Lavigne Notch New Platinum Marks". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  7. ^ "Jesus Climbs the Charts: The business of Contemporary Christian Music". Religion-online.org. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  8. ^ Christe, Ian (2003), Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (First printing ed.), "10: Glambangers of Hollywood", p. 154. HarperCollins., ISBN 0-380-81127-8
  9. ^ Brett Christensen. "Enigma Vinyl Pressing". stryper.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  10. ^ HM Staff. "Top 100 Christian rock albums". HM Magazine. Open Publishing. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  11. ^ Heaven's Metal Staff. "Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time". HM Magazine. Noise Creep. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0789". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Stryper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Stryper Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Music Canada. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – Stryper – To Hell with the Devil". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
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